Paraffin remover



Filed May 27, 1948 Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES iiA'iiilNT OFFICE 1 2,563,03 a 1 F PARAFFIN REMOVER Stanley Irwin, Kilgore, Tex.

Application May 27, 1948, Serial No. 29,575

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a paraffin remover.

An object of the invention is to provide a paraffin remover, or scraper, designed to remove paraffin, or other deposits, from the inside wall of well pump tubing upon withdrawal of the pump sucker rod.

In pumping wells, particularly oil wells, pars affin and other deposits collect on the inside wall of the pump tubing which restricts the tubing and interferes with the pumping operation and the liquid flow. The pump sucker rod must be removed from time to time for pump repairs and replacements and it is a prime object of the present invention to provide means for removing all deposits on the inside of the tubing as the sucker rod is removed.

Another object is to provide efficient means for the purpose stated which is of simple construction, may be cheaply produced, which will not reduce the efficiency of the pump and which will remove said collections not only from the wall of the tubing but also from the well.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification which is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a well pump in operation in the tubing, shown partly in section, and showing also the remover or scraper, in section, and located in the tubing.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the pump valve and scraper in the process of being withdrawn.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the paraffin remover or scraper, and

Figure 5 is a top view thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral I designates a pump tubing and the numeral 2 designates the traveling valve mechanism of a conventional well pump.

The traveling valve mechanism is connected to, and is reciprocated in the tubing by, a conventional sucker rod designated generally by the numeral 3. This sucker rod is composed of a number of relatively long sections 4 which are connected by the relatively large couplings 5, which have the longitudinal peripheral grooves 6 so as not to restrict the flow of the well liquid upwardly through the tubing I.

The parafiin scraper, or remover, itself is composed of a tubular body I, of a transverse diameter to fit snugly in the tubing I and whose upper end terminates in an upwardly flared, annular, sharp cutting edge 8. This edge fits closely upwardly and broken out.

against the inner wall of the tubing, although in the drawing, for the sake of distinctness, it is shown slightly spaced from said wall. The lower end of the body 1 carries an annular, resilient, ring 9 which fits closely in the pump tubing but which is spaced from the corresponding sucker rod section, as shown in Figure 1, so as to allow space for the upward flow of the well liquid during the operation of the pump.

In lowering the travelling valve into the well the paraffin remover, or scraper, I, may be inserted into the tubing above said valve and as the valve is lowered and the sucker rod made up the coupling 5 above will engage the upper end of the remover l, as shown in Figure l and force said remover downwardly until the travelling valve has reached the desired depth.

The sucker rod may then be connected to the operating mechanism and operated in the usual way; and the remover i will be held stationary by the friction of the external bow springs Hi thereon with the tubing walls.

When it becomes desirable to remove the sucker rod and travelling valve the rod may be pulled Upon such upward movement the travelling valve 2 will engage the ring 9 and close the same and also expand it against the inside walls of the tubing so as to completely close the tubing. As the body 1 moves upwardly its edge 8 will cut off and remove all parafi'in, or other deposits which may have col lected on the inner walls of the tubing. These displaced deposits cannot fall back into, and clog, the well for the reason that the tubing beneath is completely closed by ring 9 and traveling valve and therefore all the removed deposits will be completel discharged from the well upon removal of the pump travelling valve.

If the well is deep it may be desirable to install more than one parafiin remover in the pump tubing spaced the required distance apart so as not to overload a single remover, or scraper, and this may be done as the pump valve is being lowered and the sucker rod made up as hereinabove explained. If this is done the upper remover, or removers, will be engaged and carried out by the coupling, or couplings, 5 immediately beneath.

What I claim is:

1. A tool for removing deposits from the inside wall of a well pump tubing and comprising, a tubular body adapted to receive the sucker rod of a well pump therethrough loosely, an upwardly flared annular cutting edge on the upper end of the body, and a resilient ring on the lower end of the body of an outside diameter to fit closely 3 against the insid wall of the tubing and of an inside diameter to space the rin from the pump sucker rod.

2. In a well pumphaving a pump tubing, a travelling valve and valve sucker rod reciprocable in the tubing; a tubular body fitted into the tubing around, and spaced from, the sucker rod and of less inside diameter than the valve, an annular, upwardly flared, cutting edge on the upper end of the body and which fits closely within the tubing and a resilient ring on the lower end of the body of an outside diameter to fit closely in the tubing and of an inside diameter which is greater than the transverse diameter of 10 Number the sucker rod and less than the transverse diameter of the travelling valve.

' STANLEY IRWIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 1,575,888 Zublin Mar. 9, 1926 1,613,862 Zublin Jan. 11, 1927 2,001,270 Slaugenhop May 14, 1935 

